UPCOMING EVENTS

Sonic Mania isn’t the only game fans of the blue blur have to look forward to this year.

Sega is showing off the first gameplay footage of Sonic Forces, an upcoming platformer that’s coming out for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC this holiday season. You can watch it above. Sonic Forces is the successor to Sonic Generations, the 2011 game that switches between Modern and Classic versions of Sega’s mascot hedgehog. The classic levels play similarly to Sonic’s 16-bit days on the Genesis, while the modern levels switch between 2D and 3D perspectives and feature faster action. Sonic is one of gaming’s most recognizable icons. Since the franchise’s launch in 1991, the Sonic series has sold over 350 million games worldwide.

The video shows off Modern Sonic racing through a city under siege by robots. While Sonic Generations’ levels took influence from past games, Forces features original stages.

Mechanically, Modern Sonic works similarly to how he did in Sonic Generations. He can use a boost to speed through enemies and a homing attack to chain together mid-air attacks. And, since this is Sonic, there are plenty of gold rings to collect along the way.

This is a busy year for Sonic. Along with Sonic Forces, Sega is also releasing Sonic Mania during this summer PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC. Sonic Mania is full-on retro-inspired addition to the series, featuring sprite-based graphics and gameplay inspired by Sonic’s original adventures from the early-to-mid ’90s.